?

ARE YOU READY FOR A

CAREER
CHANGE?
7 WARNING SIGNS IT MAY BE
TIME TO MAKE A MOVE
 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

7 SIGNS YOU MAY BE READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE

It often happens in the course of a professional person's career that the

demands of the workplace require so much effort and attention that you
begin to lose touch with many of the other more important things in life.
Sometimes it happens abruptly, but in many instances this kind of scenario
can develop so gradually as to be almost imperceptible. Until suddenly
one day a person becomes aware of major unhappiness about something,
but may not be able to pinpoint the root cause of that unhappiness.
Knowing some of the warning signals for career discontent can help a
person arrive at the truth more readily, and consider what actions should
be taken in consequence.

In no particular order, here are seven of the most common warning signals
that you may be ready for a career change.

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

SIGN #1: DIMINISHING PASSION FOR THE WORK

When you first made the choice to pursue your that once seemed so enjoyable. You are
career, it may have been the right choice and there sleep-walking at your job.
was probably at least one good reason for choosing Does any of this sound familiar?
your job. Perhaps it was anticipated compensation,
job market need, opportunity for growth or simply
the appeal of the work itself. Whatever the reason,
you made the right choice for that time - but
somehow things feel different now. The pay does
not offset your loss of passion for the job, and you
can't continue to plug along just for the money. You
may even be among the few where your job security
is not in question, but mere job security does not
appeal as it once did. Your daily routine has become
a repetition of the same tasks in the same way, day
after day, and none of it has meaning or purpose.
You may be finding the work is no longer
challenging, and you feel detached from the career

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

According to the 2013 Of the 70% that did not feel

American Workplace Survey
conducted by the Gallup
70%
Corporation, only about 30%
of workers find themselves
30% engaged at work, roughly
50% felt mere disinterest, NOT FEEL ENGAGED AT WORK 70%
while a surprising 20% were
'actively disengaged' from the NOT INTERESTED AT WORK 50%

actually engaged with their work, and tended to be

work. agents of discontent in the DISENGAGED AT WORK 20%

workplace.

Conducted on a massive sample size of 150,000
American employees, this survey showed that the vast
majority did not feel challenged or motivated at their
jobs, and were either bored with the work or actively
resented it.
The alarming thing about that actively disengaged
statistic is that in a follow-up analysis, the Gallup
survey suggested that those 20% of unhappy workers
might be costing business as much as $550 billion in
lost productivity. Clearly, disengagement is not simply
an issue for the individual - there is a significant
consequence to employers and to business when
workers do not feel challenged and motivated by their
jobs.

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

SIGN #2: LIFE IS OUT OF BALANCE

There comes a time in the life of many workers when
the realization hits that their job is consuming the lion's
share of the waking hours in every day, and there are
only scraps left for home, family, friends, and other
pursuits. While it's certainly true that any 9-to-5 job will
dominate the quality hours available in a given day, the
kind of imbalance referred to here goes far beyond
that.
you - there's always a new rush project at work, and
the boss always has you scrambling to stay on top of it.
When you reach the point where this has become true
for you, it's time to think about whether or not you can
continue leading a life so out of balance.

You may find yourself putting in extra hours during the

day, working on weekends, and even bringing work
home with you in order to keep up with the latest rush
project at work. You might even be sleeping less to
accommodate that earlier start time, and when you do
go to sleep you don't sleep well because you’re still
dealing with the pressures of the day. Before you
realize it, this pattern has become the norm for

WORK LIFE
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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

SIGN #3: UNAPPRECIATED AT WORK

When an employee feels unappreciated at work, it is less the same; parts of the same great machine that

often due to the fact that management, or at least a are all interchangeable and therefore easy to replace.

direct supervisor, views employees as being more or
It is one of the most basic human needs to be
recognized as an individual, to be praised for our
efforts and achievements, and to simply feel needed
and wanted, and because this is such a basic need, it
extends beyond personal relationships and into the
workplace.

From an analysis of recent

surveys on unhappiness in
the workplace, including
the Gallup survey, it is
estimated that at least
60% of all workers fall into 60%
the category of feeling
unappreciated at work.

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

Ironically, this is one of the easier problems to fix. In How did he do it? By getting to know each and every
Michael Abrashoff's book, "It's Your Ship: Management member of the crew personally, and letting them know
Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy", the that their contribution was valued. This is the kind of
author describes how he inherited a naval vessel with recognition all employees seek, and the kind of
dramatic employee issues. recognition all managers should practice in an ideal
world.
Upon taking the helm he
had a crew with a mere 28% Granted, this was a shipboard situation and may not be
RATE OF RETENTION - 28%
rate of retention and a
the most accurate reflection of workplaces all around
shocking 31% rate of
RATE OF WORKERS the world, but this single case can still serve as a
workers' compensation
COMPENSATION - 31%
claims. sobering example of steps that management might
easily take to show appreciation of employees.
In a single year he
converted those numbers Unfortunately in many companies the management is
RATE OF RETENTION
into 100% retention and INCREASED TO 100%
out of sync with the needs of their workforce leaving
workers compensation was an increasing number feeling unappreciated. If you find
almost non-existent at a RATE OF WORKERS yourself in this scenario it may be time to look
rate of 2%. COMPENSATION REDUCED TO 2%
elsewhere where your talents will be appreciated.

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SIGN #4: NO UPWARD MOBILITY
Surveys on job satisfaction
point out the fact that while
more than 85% of all
employees cite career growth
as one of the most important
benefits of any job, less than
50% say that their current jobs
provide them this opportunity.
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ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?
Career growth is closely associated with personal
growth in the minds of most employees, and when
there is no real opportunity to develop professional
50% EMPLOYEES SAY THAT
THEIR CURRENT JOBS skills and climb up the ladder, what's left is stagnation.
PROVIDE THEM THIS
OPPORTUNITY. The important aspects of upward mobility - increased
pay, greater responsibility, more self-respect, and
sense of achievement - are all nullified when the
workplace offers no hope of advancement.
Because these aspects of self-improvement are so
closely tied to personal development and the sense of
self, an employee ends up with lower feelings of
self-worth, and that unhappiness pervades all aspects
of his/her life. In small companies, there are likely to
be fewer opportunities at all levels, but if growth
opportunities are lacking in larger companies it will
almost certainly lead to a predominantly unhappy
workforce. Most employees need to feel that they are
growing as individuals in order to be content with
themselves and happy with their jobs.
 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

SIGN #5: YOU DISLIKE THE ATMOSPHERE

While this sign of career unhappiness can be caused Some of the most common reasons cited by
by many factors, the workplace environment can play a employees for disliking their workplace atmosphere
key role in an employee’s satisfaction. include:

• Poor relationship with manager, with no

According to employment coaching or teaching provided, as well as no

statistics, roughly 35% of feedback on performance

• Dislike of the workforce politics
employees quit a job within 35%
the first six months after being • No sense of teamwork, the attitude that "we're

hired. Which means that more all in this together"

than one-third of all employees • No sense of trust or confidence that

spend less than a year on the job before realizing it management is taking the company in the right

did not meet their expectations and there are things direction

about the job they dislike. • A subtle form of bullying being practiced by
Whether your dissatisfaction happens early in your
job or the environment changes over time, it is
important to recognize where your feelings of
discomfort are stemming from.

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

For many workers they may find that mergers or

change in management can bring about new
environments that may not be enjoyable to work in any
more. If your workplace atmosphere has become toxic
it may be time for a change.

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

SIGN #6: THOUGHTS OF WRONG PROFESSION

An employee can come to this realization when
It is estimated that as many as 60% or more of all
he/she begins to feel that talents are not being put to
employees are actually hired into a position that is a
best use and never will be in this career and this job.
poor fit for their talents. While this might sound baffling,
Perhaps promises of opportunity to use talents in the
it's not so hard to fathom when one considers some of
future have never really materialized on the job, and
the following points:
the talents a person might be most proud of are not
being used at all. There could be promised training for
• Employees are often hired too quickly to fill
this profession that have never materialized and the
positions of need
employee feels trapped in a job that will never become
• Managers often feel that anyone can do a certain
more interesting than it is now.
job well enough
• Managers sometimes think that anyone can be
trained to do the job

And perhaps most importantly:

• Management can have the mistaken notion that

specific skillsets which qualify a person for a job are
more important than the talents a person might
have.

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

If self-actualization cannot happen on this job, it's

time to start considering a change of profession
or at the very least a change of jobs.

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

SIGN #7: YOU ARE SIMPLY BURNT OUT

This is probably the most compelling sign of all that a Each of these taken alone can be alarming enough to
job change or career change should be considered. a person, but when several of these are manifested
When the stresses or the sheer weight of hours and together, it can be a powerful indicator to a person that
responsibilities begin to take a physical toll on an he/she is in the wrong profession, and that it is
individual, every day on the job will seem like a mild expressing itself in physical terms.
form of torture. Far from being interested in the work,
an employee might find it extremely difficult to even
get up in the morning, prepare for work, and
sleep-walk through another day.

The physical symptoms of burnout may include all of

the following and more:

• Fatigue • Loss of appetite

• Headaches • Weight loss
• Upset stomach • Teeth grinding
• Nausea • Loss of interest in sex
• Muscle tension • Dizziness

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 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

There are many other indicators of job burnout beside have been asked to do more, which means that
the physical ones, and in a survey conducted by CNN, additional workload has been placed on them, along
employees cited some of these additional signs as with additional stresses. By the same token, fewer
warning signals that helped them come to the available jobs makes it more likely that employees
realization they were close to the breaking point at experiencing one or more of the above symptoms will
work: tolerate them indefinitely simply because they are
• The friendship and camaraderie with workers afraid that once they leave the current job they will be
that once existed has disappeared, and in some unable to find another one.
cases been replaced by a form of hostility
• Enthusiasm for work has been replaced by
apathy or revulsion
• A strong desire to report later for work and leave
earlier, coupled with lack of desire to work any
extra hours or weekend days
• Co-workers give you a wide berth, and avoid you
altogether in some cases, so as not to provoke an
episode of irritability

The prevalence of burnout has increased in recent

years, because fewer employees in the workplace

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DEALING WITH THE WARNING SIGNS
Any of the warning signs discussed here may present
themselves at any time in your working life (although
statistically their appearance is much less likely in the early
weeks and months of a new job). By the time you notice any
of these attitudes or behaviors, chances are your work has
already been suffering because of them, and you have not
been as engaged at work as you once were. You are not
alone - the most comprehensive, world-wide survey
conducted annually shows clearly that the percentage of
disengaged workers grows every year.
For employers this is very bad news, because it has also
been demonstrated that this kind of disenchantment costs
them billions of dollars in lost productivity. As a result, some
of the more enlightened employers have sought to remedy
the situation by training managers to relate more to
employees, to provide opportunities for growth and
engagement, and to make people feel like their
contributions are vital to the success of the company.
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ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?
Of course not all employees have the good fortune to be
working in situations where enlightenment has dawned.
The good news is that there is an increasing number of
options available for the discontented employee. Many
people have turned away from traditional employment in
favor of other options more suitable to their life goals.
Options such as job sharing, flex time, contract work and for
many, even self-employment or business ownership is a
much better fit.
If you find yourself plagued by any of these 7 warning signs
we’ve discussed, it's probably time for you to sit down and
go through a serious self-assessment. Maybe the pay is just
too good to walk away from, or maybe there are no other
jobs available in your area and you feel compelled to stay
where you are. An honest assessment should tell you that
there are reasons you simply cannot quit, in which case as
painful as it might be, a re-commitment to the job is
probably necessary. But if your warning signs have
developed into full-blown fire alarms that trump the
reasons for staying, it's time to consider career alternatives.
 ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE?

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